How Much Does a Website Cost in 2019?

Almost every enquiry we receive asks the six million dollar question. How much does a website cost in 2019? Thankfully not quite 6 million dollars. To provide an approximate cost we need to understand your business and what you need from a new website.

What type of website are you and your business? Do you need a:

• Brochure style website that is simply a place for existing customers to discover information?
• Marketing site designed to promote your services/products and win new clients?
• Feature-rich, custom built website that integrates with other services, sells products and/or manages and captures large amounts of data?
• eCommerce site that promotes and sells products online?

As with all service based industries the greater the requirements, the more it takes to complete the work and, therefore, the higher the price. Similarly, the greater number of pages required means more web design and development is required.

In an attempt to be as transparent as possible this article breaks down the way we do the things we do. That said, you’re here because you want a price guide for a new web design. We’ll spare you the scroll……

We know from experience that sites generally fall into three broad categories – small business, corporate and eCommerce. Within these categories we allocate time and resources based on our understanding of the design and function required. As a general rule our small business websites fall between the $5,000 and $7,500 range while corporate websites are generally between $7,500 and $15,000. eCommerce sites are the most expensive option, ranging from $10,000 all the way through to $20,000+. Of course, some sites fall outside of these guides but these figures are a good starting point.

Yep, there is always someone that will go cheaper. A cheap website is cheap for a reason. Its price tag is an indication of the time, effort and resources put into the development. From our experience, the cheaper a website the less effective the site is at converting visitors into engaged, paying customers. More often than not a cheap website makes your business look cheap.

Of course there are DIY options. DIY website platforms like Squarespace, Weebly and Wix are great for small, one person businesses looking to get an online presence quickly, but of course there are downsides and more than a few catches. Before jumping headfirst into the pool of DIY, we’d recommend getting familiar with the difference between DIY builders and custom development. A good starting point is our article on why you shouldn’t use a DIY website builder.

Ultimately, a well designed and developed website will attract visitors and convert them into clients. That should be the goal of any website. When engaging with Start Digital, you are assured a high-quality and conversion-focused website that delivers a return on your investment.

At Start Digital we believe transparency and trust are the foundation of any successful business relationship. Our hope is that by providing a crystal-clear insight into all of the costs and components involved with a website, our clients understand (or pretend to understand) what they are paying for.

Before we get to the costly parts of a website, here are some essentials that need to be addressed before development begins.

• Domain name: If you don’t currently have a domain name, visit a register such as GoDaddy and Crazy Domains. Average prices for a domain name ranges between $15-$50 per year. In order to purchase a .com.au domain name for business use, a valid ABN is necessary.
• Hosting: Your website needs to be hosted somewhere so that others can access it. Start Digital have servers conveniently located in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne. Our most basic hosting solution begins at $350 per annum, which includes weekly site backups and server maintenance. If your business requires a dedicated hosting environment expect to pay anything from $2,000 through to $5,000 per annum.
• Content Management System (CMS): All our sites are built on the world’s leading CMS, WordPress. We can also provide Joomla web development however it is something we will actively be phasing out in 2019. To setup WordPress, configure our template and add our standard suite of plugins will cost approximately $600.

At the risk of stating the obvious, without content a website is nothing but an empty page. Whilst minimal design is cool an empty page won’t win you clients. In 2019 content is still King. Text and images are undeniably the most critical component of any website. Many of the most appealing and highest converting websites in the world are very similar in a sense – they all have found the right balance of engaging content.

We recognise that every business is different and will have a variety of content, both images and text, on hand. Further, we know that a deep understanding of how to write for a web audience and a strong knowledge of an individual business space, are essential to finding that mixture. Therefore, Start Digital provides three content related options:

• Client provides everything: The client provides all content and Start Digital is responsible for entering the provided content into their WordPress site. We will use the approved web design to guide the formatting of content, resizing and optimising of provided images, install required fonts, set up the site colours and test the website across a variety of browsers and devices. It will cost approximately $150 per page to add this content – depending on the amount of content and design required.
• Start Digital create everything: Our copywriters and content creators make everything. It’s a common request and more often than not yields the best results – Floors of Distinction, Soundlab and Firesafe (among many others) will attest to that. After learning about your business and researching the competitive space, we produce content that positions your business as a leader. Our copywrite services are charged at a $120 per hour whilst a half day of on-site photography is $500. If stock images are required we allocate an appropriate amount of time to source high quality images. Anyone that has ever spent time looking for stock images knows it quickly becomes a soul destroying time vacuum – thankfully we know where to find the best images! Creating the right content for a 10-page site could take anywhere between 3 to 5 days so it’s worth budgetting between $1,500 and $5,000.
• It takes two: Sometimes a business requires a mixture of both options – we’re flexible. Whether your business needs images, videos or text, Start Digital’s in-house team of creators are capable of developing the necessary content. Prices for these services (copywrite, photography, graphic design etc.) all vary, depending on the business’ specific need.

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Once we’ve established the content it’s time to explore design, structure and functionality.

• Web Design: Incorporates colour palettes, font types, layout, graphic design and navigation. All of our designs are fully responsive (they work on desktops, laptops, mobiles and tablets) and focus on using design to encourage engagement and conversions. A brochure style site design will be between $1,500 and $2,000 while design for websites needing more functionality can cost up to $7,000 depending on the number of pages.
• Sliding Headers/Slideshow: We license the very best WordPress plugins to extend the functionality of your website. The price tag for adding images, text and animation to a header with 3-4 slides is roughly $500. This also incorporates editing images to suit a variety of screen sizes and using alternate images if required for specific screen dimensions.
• Photo Galleries: Start Digital will add, resize, optimise and tag all images, for the gallery/galleries. Costs are largely dependent on the number of images and galleries wanted but expect to pay between $300 and $600.
• Social Media Integration: We can integrate Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms with your website. Integration costs fall between $150 to $500 depending on the number of platforms added and the level of integration required. It’s worth noting that integrating a live Facebook feed requires more ground work than embedding an Instagram feed, so charges vary depending on the social platform.
• SEO Setup: An ongoing SEO strategy is critical for long term success. If your business is interested in initial SEO setup, the starting cost begins at $500. This includes page meta tags, image sizing and compression, Yoast SEO setup and minimising the weight of code.
• eCommerce: We offer two eCommerce solutions, one through WooCommerce and the other Shopify. Our solutions range from $2,000 all the way through to $10,000+ depending on the number of products and functionality required.
• Contact Forms: Start Digital can develop anything from basic contact forms to detailed surveys. Standard forms are approximately $150 and more advanced forms are roughly $300+ but influenced by their functionality.
• Event Management: We can either use a plugin within WordPress (approximately $500) or integrate a third-party event management platform like EventBrite. We can setup and configure EventBrite and integrate it into a site for approximately $500.

• Site Maintenance: Maintenance involves keeping your WordPress up to date and error free. This might entail updating plugins to maximise site functionality, solving version issues to maintain performance and updating site content. Ongoing maintenance is charged monthly, ranging from $300 to $500 per month depending on the site and client requirements.
• Ongoing SEO: Search Engine Optimisation is the ongoing work taken to help your site to rank ‘organically’ on Google and other search engines. Stats prove that a minimum 75% of digital traffic goes to businesses that rank organically on page 1, so the higher your site ranks the the greater the chance it will be discovered by future clients. We follow Googles ranking guidelines to the letter – and have a few white hat SEO tricks up our sleeves. Costs for SEO start at $750 per month.
• Digital Advertising: From Google Ads to sponsored Facebook and Instagram posts, Start Digital execute effective paid media strategies for our clients. Prices are largely dependent on your business space and what your competitors are spending. It’s important that any marketing campaign/strategy has some clear KPI’s so the return on investment is clearly managed. For a reasonably competitive sector expect to burn through $500 per month and upwards quite quickly.
• Social Media Marketing: Start Digital will craft and execute a unique social media strategy tailored to your business landscape. We will determine which platforms and what type of content best connects with your core demographic – it’s important that you reach your audience on the platforms they are using. Quotes for social media marketing are dependent upon the strategy delivered but a reasonable starting point would be $450 per month.

Now you know 🙂 If you’d like to receive a quote for your web project, please fill out this form. Alternatively, feel free to drop our team a line at 1300 170 908. We’re here to help!